Local authorities and CO2: how to decarbonize?

How can local authorities contribute to achieving the objectives of the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC)?

In 2022, the Institut de l'économie pour le climat (I4CE - Institute for climate economics) published a study on the role of local authorities in achieving France's carbon neutrality targets by 2050, as set out in the national low-carbon strategy (SNBC).

As a reminder, the SNBC is France's roadmap for combating climate change. It provides guidelines for putting the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, circular economy into practice across all sectors of activity. The roadmap focuses on two major objectives: achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and reducing the carbon footprint of French consumption. What role should local authorities play in achieving this objective?

According to I4CE, to accelerate their green commitments, local authorities need to double their climate investments and significantly boost their engineering capabilities. But why is this necessary?

Firstly, local authorities will have to invest 12 billion euros each year from 2021 to 2030 to meet the SNBC targets. This represents 18% of their current total investment budget, spread across three key sectors:

🚲Mobility, which requires 67% of investment, notably for cycling facilities (3.3 billion euros/year) and funding for rail and public transport (3 billion euros/year).

🏢 Energy renovation of public buildings (2.7 billion euros/year).

💡Energy efficiency of public lighting and district heating networks (1.1 billion euros/year).

As far as engineering needs are concerned, the study highlights the need for local authorities to increase their human resources for climate engineering, which implies an increase in operating expenses. This concerns both the launch and supervision of climate investments, as well as the animation of the decarbonization dynamics of businesses and other actors in their locality.

At least 25,000 staff would have to be dedicated to managing the climate actions of local authorities in order to achieve the objectives of the SNBC. This represents an annual payroll of around 1.5 billion euros.

As you can see, financing the fight against climate change requires substantial human and financial investment. Local authorities have an essential role to play in this process. By investing massively in key sectors such as mobility, energy renovation of public buildings and energy efficiency, they will actively contribute to achieving the objectives of the SNBC.

In addition, by strengthening their engineering resources and mobilizing dedicated staff, they will ensure the effective implementation of ecological measures in their region. The commitment of local authorities is therefore crucial to achieving these ambitious goals and building a more sustainable future.

Local authorities and ecological commitment: what obligations?

Local authorities are subject to numerous obligations aimed at strengthening their commitment to the climate.

📋 Territorial Climate Air Energy Plan (PCAET)

The PCAET is both a strategic and operational planning approach that encompasses all sectors of activity. Its aim is to mobilize all economic, social and environmental players, under the coordination of a local authority. It aims to achieve the following objectives:

✅ Reducing the locality's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to combat climate change ("mitigation" component);

✅ Adapting the region to the effects of climate change, in order to reduce its economic, social, health and other impacts ("adaptation" section);

✅ Improving air quality to protect the health of local residents.

The PCAET, which is revised every 6 years with a mid-term review, consists of four main parts:

✅ A territorial diagnosis ;

✅ A strategy (strategic and operational objectives and a quantified transition scenario) ;

✅ An action program ;

✅ A system for monitoring and evaluating results.

Who's concerned?

Drawing up a PCAET is compulsory forall inter-municipal bodies with their own tax system with a population of over 20,000 ("obligatory" EPCIs), while it is only offered to smaller inter-municipal bodies ("voluntary" PCAETs).

📝 Sustainable Development Report

To encourage local authorities to highlight their contribution to sustainable development (SD) in their locality, the Grenelle 2 Act of July 12, 2010 introduced the obligation for certain local authorities to produce and present a report on the sustainable development situation prior to the budgetary orientation debate (DOB).

This report, seen as a tool for local dialogue, enables local authorities to question their public policies, their operations and their methods of intervention with a view to sustainable development in their region.

This obligation is designed to encourage in-depth reflection and promote the integration of SD principles into their actions.

Who's concerned?

👉 Municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants

👉 Public establishments for inter-communal cooperation with their own tax system with more than 50,000 inhabitants

👉 Departments

👉 Regions

👉 The territorial collectivity of Corsica

📊 GHG inventory® "Patrimoine et Compétences" and "Territoire

Mandatory under the PCAET and Decree no. 2011-829 of July 11, 2011, the GHG inventory® is an essential tool for assessing the carbon footprint of local authorities. There are two types of GHG inventory® :

GHG inventory® "Patrimoine et Compétences" (P&C ): focuses on the real estate owned by the local authority and on the exercise of its specific skills.

GHG inventory® "Territoire": adopts a broader geographical approach, taking into account the entire locality and the activities of all the players operating there. This assessment takes into account :

Direct emissions: emissions that take place in the locality, regardless of the actor who causes them.

Indirect emissions: emissions induced by local players. They take place outside the locality but contribute to its functioning: for example, emissions linked to the transport of "imported" goods, emissions linked to the manufacture (outside the region) of a product consumed by a local player, etc.

Local authorities have three methods at their disposal for drawing up their Bilans Carbone® :

Inventories: these methods focus on accounting for direct emissions (scope 1) generated in the locality.

Global methods: these take into account all emissions from the region or local authority (P&C), whether from internal or external sources. These methods include emissions from the three categories scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 (indirect emissions).

The regulatory GHG inventory method: this method, provided for in Article 75 of the Grenelle 2 Law, covers part of the emissions linked to the local authority's assets and skills (P&C).

These different approaches offer flexible options for assessing and quantifying their greenhouse gas emissions. They enable them to better understand the environmental impact of their activities, and to implement appropriate measures to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to the transition to a more environmentally-friendly economy.

💪 What actions can local authorities take to comply with the SNBC and current regulations?

There is a wide range of actions that local authorities can implement, according to I4CE:

🏢 Energy renovation of buildings: the Tertiary Eco Efficiency Scheme (DEET), also known as the "tertiary decree", requires buildings to reduce their energy consumption by 40% in 2030, 50% in 2040 and 60% in 2050 compared with 2010 levels. It applies to all buildings or business premises used for tertiary purposes and with an operating surface area of 1,000 m2 or more;

🌱 Reducing the artificialization of land: the Climate and Resilience Law adopted in 2021 sets the objective, by 2030, of halving the rate of artificialization compared with the consumption of space observed since 2010 and reaching a state of zero net artificialization (ZAN) by 2050.

💡Energy efficiency of public lighting: the Environment Code identifies installations that must be covered by a policy designed to prevent, reduce and limit energy consumption.

🚙 The greening of local authority vehicle fleets: article 76 of the Loi d'Orientation des mobilités (LOM) imposes a minimum proportion of low-carbon footprint vehicles when acquiring or renewing local authority fleets ;

🌿 The introduction of Low Emission Zones (ZFE): the Climate and Resilience Act extends the obligation to set up a ZFE to local authorities with more than 150,000 inhabitants.

🚊The development of a sustainable mobility policy for the locality: the Transport Code makes it compulsory for AOMs (Autorités Organisateurs de la Mobilité - Mobility Organizing Authorities) whose territorial jurisdiction includes more than 100,000 inhabitants to draw up a Mobility Plan.

🍽️ Decarbonization of collective catering: the Egalim Law adopted in 2018 sets the target of a 50% procurement rate of responsible, quality products, including 20% from organic farming.

🛒 Low-carbon purchasing policy: the Law for Energy Transition and Green Growth (LTECV) adopted in 2015 introduces the mandatory implementation of schemes to promote socially and environmentally responsible purchasing (SPASER) for public players exceeding 50 million euros in purchases.

📉 Drawing up an action plan consistent with SNBC objectives: the LTECV entrusts EPCIs with more than 20,000 inhabitants with the preparation and implementation of Territorial Climate Air Energy Plans (PCAET); at regional level, the preparation of the SRADDET has also been made mandatory by the NOTRe Law adopted in 2015.

Implementing these measures offers local authorities the opportunity to embark on a transition to more environmentally-friendly practices, while ensuring compliance with current legislation and anticipating possible future regulations.

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Thanks to these services, local authorities benefit from the development of a trajectory of excellence that incorporates all recognized practices in greenhouse gas accounting, reduction and reporting.

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